


I Think I've Hit a Wall

by imtheonlybeefcow



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Concussions, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, Injury, M/M, Sorry Not Sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-02-10
Packaged: 2018-09-20 14:51:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9496919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imtheonlybeefcow/pseuds/imtheonlybeefcow
Summary: Keith gets injured while training and it's up to Lance and Shiro to take care of him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, I'm still pretty new with this whole writing thing, so bear with me. There's going to be mistakes, but whatever. I'm trying my best.

Sometimes he would go to train. Sometimes to blow off steam. Sometimes just because he wanted to be alone. But the point is, Keith was almost always on the training deck. Usually fighting the gladiator. If someone needed Keith, the first place they would be told to check was the training deck. And this time was no different.

“Hey does anybody know where Keith is, we are having a team meeting and this especially pertains to him” Shiro asked the other paladins.

From across the room, Pidge called out in a monotone voice “Did you check the deck?”

Shiro sighed. “I don’t know why I even bother asking anymore. Can one of you please go get him. The sooner the meeting, the better. Pidge? Hunk?”

“Busy” both of them replied in unison.

“Ok, that leaves you Lance.” Shiro said.

“Why am I always stuck doing this job?”

“Because you’re never ‘busy’.”

“Ugh fine. But next time I won’t be the one who has to go get him.” And with that, Lance stormed off to go find the red paladin.

*     *     *

The one thing that pissed Keith off the most when it came to training, was when he was interrupted. It caused him to lose focus, which for him, focusing was extremely difficult, losing it was extremely easy. So, he preferred to be alone when training.

Keith was getting better at fighting the gladiator. Why, just last week, he beat level 3 for the first time and today was his first time to attempt level 4. So, it was crucial that he keeps his focus during this session.

The gladiator dropped from the ceiling and when it noticed Keith, its light flashed and it charged at him. Keith drew his sword and blocked the first strike of the machine. He tried to use the block to push it back but it moved out of the way causing Keith to stumble forward. He recovered quickly and got back into his stance.

Usually when Keith started a new level, he would spend the first few sessions learning the movements and patterns of the gladiator. He fought defensively. When he grew confident enough, he would throw in a couple offensive moves. And eventually he would end up forcing the gladiator to fight defensively while Keith made all of the attacks.

Level 4 differed from three in the way that this one was much more agile. It could dodge easier often buy jumping high into the air and using the height to steal a hit. Its normal offensive moves were not much different except that they were much stronger. Keith had to be extra careful with this one because his impulsive nature can cause him to get carried away and end up getting hit.

The gladiator ran at him like he was about to attack but then jumped into the air and readied its weapon. Keith blocked the descent with his sword, but the force of the impact caused the sword to fly out of his hand. He was lucky that it didn’t fall too far from him, so he easily retrieved it, but in doing so, he realized he was cornered. He couldn’t escape for the speed of the gladiator was far greater than that of a mere human. Keith realized that he was either going to have to wait for an opening or block and escape. The gladiator began to make its way towards Keith. He kept his eyes on the machine the whole time waiting to see what it was going to do. Then he heard a voice.

“Hey, Keith!” It was Lance. “Shiro want- “

“No!” Keith yelled as he instinctively looked in the direction of the voice that called his name. This proved to be a huge mistake as right when his gaze left the metal bot, it attacked. Before Keith could react, the gladiators electric rod was already connected with Keith’s body. The force of this attack was much stronger than level 3 causing him to fly back towards the walls of the deck. Because he was already close to the walls, his body slammed into it with a huge force. First his back hit which caused him to feel a sharp pain shoot down his leg, but it didn’t last long because his head hit the wall next. That pain quickly took over

He fell to the ground with a thud. The impact with the wall had knocked the wind out of him. He was on his side and struggling to breathe. Everything went kind of foggy and he vaguely hear Lance yelling something before sprinting out of the room. He must have ended the training session because Keith was the only one in the room after Lance took off. He laid on the ground unable to move because of the searing pain in the back of his head. So, he closed his eyes hoping that for some reason, that would make it better. He also clutched his head in his hands hoping for the same result. It did feel warm and sticky back there which Keith knew was not a good sign.

Then he started to panic. _What if this is bad? What if I can’t train? What if I can’t fly red? What if we can’t form Voltron?_ These questions caused breathing to become more difficult, borderline impossible. He cried out the best he could but it was likely that nobody heard him. He tried to curl up but the pain in his lower back prevented him from doing so. _This is bad. Really really bad. Please somebody help._ He was beginning to fee faint.

The door to the training deck slid open and a few people ran in. Keith’s vision was too fuzzy to be able to tell who came, but only one ran to him. He closed his eyes again and cried out to them once more.

“...eith? Keith!” He heard that person shout. Soon they were at his side. “…ey. Hey Keith… hear me?...”

He opened his eyes and was faced with a very worried looking Shiro. He couldn’t think of the words to say so he just groaned in pain. Shiro was trying to get Keith to take his hands away from his head so that Shiro could check it out, but Keith wouldn’t move at all. As much as he trusted Shiro, he was too scared to know if it was bad or not. He thought if he could avoid knowing, then he would be fine.

Shiro began to speak in a much calmer voice hoping it would also calm Keith down enough for him to get a look at what he was hiding. He caught a glimpse of something red on Keith’s hands. _Oh, no_ he thought. But he didn’t get any more urgent because he did not want to scare the red paladin any more than he already was. He switched to the task of getting Keith to calm down and breathe normally.

“Keith, you need to listen to me. I need you to try and calm your breathing.” Shiro grabbed his hand and held it close to him. “Match your breathing with mine.” Shiro wasn’t sure if Keith could process what he was saying to him. He hoped for the best.

That must have worked, because eventually Keith started to breathe at a much more stable pace, although it was still too shallow to be called good. But he seemed calmer. Keith removed his hands, allowing for Shiro to confirm his fear. Blood. That was never good when it came to head injuries. _At least he hasn’t passed out. Yet. It could still happen, but so far so good._ Shiro thought as he talked to Keith.

“Can you hear me now, Keith?” Shiro asked gently, hoping to get a response.

His voice was very soothing to Keith. Somewhat comforting. “…yes…” He said slowly finally being able to find his voice.

“Good. Good. Now Keith, can you tell me what hurts?”

“Uhhh… back and head. Can’t move”

“You can’t as in you are unable to or too much pain for you to move.”

“Pain”

“Well that’s good to hear.” Shiro said with relief. “No major spinal injuries we know of. Keith, I know it may hurt a lot, but can you try and stand so that we can get you to somewhere more comfortable.”

“Hurts too much”

“Come on, buddy. I promise you will be much happier not on a hard metal floor.”

Keith really didn’t want to try but getting of this floor was something he so desperately wanted. He used all the strength in his arms to push his body upright. After a couple failed attempts, he eventually succeeded in sitting upright.

“Good. Keep going. Almost there.” Shiro supported him. But the second Keith tried to put weight on his right leg, the sharp pain from before shot down his leg all the way to his foot. He screamed in pain as he fell back down only to be caught by Shiro before he hit the ground. Shiro guided him back into a laying down position.

“It’s alright, buddy.” Shiro said with the original worry in his voice. “One more try.” He was not expecting him to want to try again, but it was worth a shot.

But the pain was too much for Keith. He couldn’t bear it. He was only vaguely aware that Shiro was talking to him. The pain caused his mind and vision to go foggy again. _Please let this end soon. Please. Please. Please._ His vision was getting spotty and so he closed his eyes hoping to be taken by the darkness. The last thing he heard was Shiro telling him to stay awake. “I'm sorry… Shiro.” Then, he fell into Shiro’s arms as his vision went completely black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I make them suffer...

**Earlier**

After he was told to bring Keith to the meeting, Lance had stormed up to the door of the training deck and, without thinking, he barged right in. As expected, Keith was training with the Gladiator. Lance called out his name not realizing that Keith had been cornered by the machine.

It all happened so fast. The gladiator took this distraction and used it as an opening. Keith couldn’t dodge the quick attack in time and received the full impact of the electric rod and then the wall. Lance watched Keith’s body limply fall and hit the ground with a sickening thud.  Before the gladiator could get in another free hit, Lance stepped in.

“End training sequence!!” He yelled. He looked at the red paladin for a split second before dashing off full sprint to get Shiro. He felt bad for leaving Keith in there all alone, but there is nothing Lance would've been able to do to help. Shiro was always better at dealing with these kinds of things.

Shiro was waiting with the others in their meeting room. Usually the dining hall was where they held important meetings because it was large enough for everyone to sit there and because meeting were typically held before meals.

Lance ran in there out of breath frantically yelling with a terrified look on his face, but nobody could make out what he was saying. Shiro spoke up.

“Lance. Calm down. What’s the matter?” He asked calmly.

“K-Keith. Oh god. Shiro, it’s Keith!” Lance managed.

“Keith? What happened?”

“He’s hurt. Bad.”

That was all Shiro needed to hear before taking off towards the deck. He told the others to stay back. Lance refused to stay. He insisted on coming with Shiro. After all, he is the only witness and can explain what exactly happened. Shiro didn’t have the time to protest. Both of them sprinted to where Keith was. Shiro faring the worst.

_Why now. Why is that when the cryopods are under maintenance, somebody gets hurt. I specifically needed Keith at the meeting so I could tell him this so he will be more careful with training._

_*     *     *_

After Keith passed out in Shiro’s arms, he ordered Lance to go back and get Coran to prepare a bed in the infirmary. Lance walked up to them. He looked down at the unconscious boy in Shiro’s arms. Everything around him disappeared and what was left was him and Keith. That’s all that he can focus on. _I caused this. I should have heard that he was in the middle of fighting the gladiator. How am I going to face him if he’s not okay? He probably hates me now_.

“Lance! Snap out of it!” Shiro yelled

This brought Lance back to reality. Shiro began to give out orders again.

“Lance. I really need you to go get Coran. Keith will be alright. The sooner you go get help, the better it is for Keith’s condition. He really needs you Lance.”

With that, Lance took off running towards the meeting room where everyone stood with worried looks on their faces. Everyone was silent waiting for Lance to speak. They were all hoping to get news on Keith’s status, but Lance didn’t have time to explain. He had to hurry.

“Coran! We need a bed prepared in the infirmary. Like now.”

Coran didn’t question him at all. He simply nodded and headed for the med bay. Allura followed closely behind Coran.

“Is Keith ok-“ Hunk tried to ask.

“I can’t explain right now.” Lance said. He took off back in the direction of the training deck.

Shiro had to decide how he was going to get Keith to the infirmary without interfering with his injuries. He would have to be extremely cautious when carrying him. At least with him unconscious, he doesn’t have to feel the pain at the moment. But who knows how long he will be out for. Shiro carefully slipped one arm under Keith’s knees and the other under his back. Shiro slowly lifted him up, Keith's head lolling back. Shiro tried to support him the best he could.

Shiro began the longest walk to the infirmary he has ever taken, for he had to walk very slowly to keep from injuring Keith’s back any more. While he was walking, Lance sprinted up to him nearly colliding with them.

“They are working on it Shiro.” Lance said with a hint of panic in his voice. “How’s Keith doing?”

“Well he’s still out cold, which is good for right now but otherwise it’s not good at all.” Shiro saw that this worried Lance so he quickly added “But he is going to be fine Lance. Don’t worry. He’s tough. And you have to be tough for him right now. Can you do that?”

Lance looked down at the ground. But he nodded. Then he turned to Shiro. “Why can’t we just put him in a healing pod?”

“That’s what we were going to discuss at the meeting. The pods are down for maintenance. So they will be out for about a week. I wanted Keith to know so that he would be a little more careful with training.”

“Oh.” Lance replied softly. “Do you think he will be mad at me?”

“For what?”

“I’m the reason this happened. I barged in in the middle of a session. I distracted him during his fight, If I wasn’t there, then he wouldn’t be in so much pain.”

“Lance… It’s going to be alright. I promise.”

While they made their way across the ship, Keith began to stir a little. Shiro looked down at him and he had his eyes half open. His body had also begun to tremble.

“Keith!” Shiro said in a hushed voice so he wouldn’t startle Keith. “Hey, you awake?”

Keith groaned as he nodded in pain. “…yeah”

“Great. We are almost there. I need you to hold on a little bit longer. Can you try to stay awake?”

Keith seemed to be a little more responsive. “I can try”

“Keith, can you tell me what hurts?” Shiro knew it was a dumb question but he still needed to ask just to be safe. And if he kept Keith talking, then he would stay awake.

“Sure, I guess. Uhhhh my head and back.”

“Can you be a little more specific?” Shiro was careful to not sound pushy or urgent when talking to Keith.

Keith winced. “The back of my head and my lower back.” He rested his head on Shiro’s chest. His eyes were closed.

“Keith, you still there? You gotta stay awake, buddy.”

Keith opened his eyes again. Then he winced. Shiro noticed right away that something was hurting. “What's hurting you, Keith?”

“Shiro, I feel sick” Keith said. His heart rate was increasing slightly. “Ugh… I feel so nauseous.”

“You just have to hang on for a couple more minutes.”

Keith whimpered. “I don't know, Shiro.” He looked paler than usual. And the shaking was worse.

“C’mon, Keith. I know you can do it.”

They were approaching the infirmary where Coran was standing in the doorway waiting for them. He motioned for them to follow him to the bed they prepared earlier.

“Oh, it looks like number four is awake now. That’s a good sign. He was out for only how long?” Coran asked trying to sound positive.

“Just a few minutes.” Shiro replied knowing that wouldn't mean much to Coran because that was in Earth time.

Shiro walked up to the side of the bed. He gently laid Keith down. He groaned and clutched his stomach. Bending over slightly.

“You okay, Keith?” Shiro asked quickly, reaching out to steady him. “Do you need anything?”

Keith waved him off and shook his head. “I’m just nauseous, That’s all.” He leaned back in the bed. When he leaned up against the pillow he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, which caused him to yelp in pain. This alarmed Shiro again who was once again by his side asking if he needed anything. Which he didn’t. Actually, he just wanted to sleep.

“Keith, I’m going to ask you a few questions.” Allura said. “Number one, what happened?”

“Well I was training and then Lance walked it. Then the gladiator hit me. That’s all I remember up until Shiro was carrying me here.”

“Okay. Question two, what hurts.”

“For the second time, it’s my head and lower back and I guess my stomach but that’s the nausea... I think.”

“Which hurts more?”

“Not sure”

“Is anything numb? Any tingling feeling?”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

Even though it had only been four questions, Keith was getting tired of this. He just wanted to be alone and sleep. Preferably in his own room, in his own bed. But at this rate, he won’t get to sleep for a while unless he does something.

“Shiro…” he whined.

“Yeah? What do you need?” Shiro replied crouching down next to Keith so he was eye level with him as he spoke.

“I want to sleep.”

“You will get to soon. You just have to answer Allura’s questions.”

“But I’m too tired to think right.” A wave of nausea washes over him and he doubled over grabbing his stomach. He began to shiver as he groaned in pain, trying to avoid throwing upright then and there.

“Keith?” Shiro said. “Hey Coran, is there a trash can anywhere near?”

“Yeah” He said getting up. “Give me a tick”

“Please hurry” Shiro was now sitting on the bed next to Keith, rubbing his back to comfort the shaking boy.

“I…I’ll be fine” Keith said slowly as he began to lean back in the bed.

“I think that is enough questioning for tonight, Allura. We should let him sleep. Maybe he will be feeling fine in the morning.” Shiro said to Allura who had a sad look on her face.

“That’s probably the best thing to do now.”

Shiro turned to Keith who was still shaking and he had his eyes squeezed shut. Shiro wanted to get him in a comfortable position to sleep in. He asked Keith and he said he wanted to sleep on his side. Shiro gently helped Keith lay down on his right side, making sure there was the least amount of pain present in the boy.

Shiro was going over all the things he left for him. A bottle of water, some painkillers, and lots of blankets. Shiro got the trash can and set it next to the bed. “If you need this in the middle of the night, it’s right here, okay.” Shiro was about to walk away when he felt some one grasp his wrist. Keith was reaching out to him. He looked like he might cry.

“What’s wrong? Does anything hurt worse?” Shiro asked gently.

“No…” Keith said quietly. Then he looked up at Shiro. “I’m scared. We can’t form Voltron right now. I’m dragging our team down. What if we get attacked? I can’t do anything to help. Shiro. I don’t know what to do.”

Tears were now rolling down his cheek and hitting the bed with a soft thump.

“You will be fine.” Shiro said confidently. “Most likely, you have a concussion. You will just have to wait it out. Another symptom is that you can get more emotional. Or even depressed. You will just have to fight through this one, buddy.”

“Shiro…” Keith said shakily. “I don’t like this. I want this to be over I don’t like this feeling. I don’t want to be scared but I am.”

“For now, I would rest up. We will know more tomorrow. It may not even be a concussion, but sometimes it can take a day for symptoms to show up.”

“Shiro.”

“Yeah?”

“Can you stay here tonight. I don’t want to be alone.”

“Of course, Keith. I’ll be right here.”

“Thank you...Shiro.” Keith said quietly before nodding off to sleep.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2/1/17) Hey there! So I was going to update last night, but I ran into some family stuff... and I almost didn't post it today because I feel pretty bad and I want to sleep, but I'm doing it anyways. So here. I'm suffering as much as Keith is at this point. Also, a majority of his symptoms are ones I experienced when I had a concussion about three months ago.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is going to lighten up a little bit now.

Keith would have slept longer if it weren't for the nausea and throbbing headache that woke him up. He looked over and saw a sleeping Shiro, sitting on the ground, leaning up against the bed. The nauseous feeling crept back up and Keith reached over and grabbed the trash can. Just in case. Shiro must have heard him moving because he began to move from the side of the bed.

“Hey. You’re awake.” Shiro said quietly. “How are you feeling”

“Sick.”

“Are you still in pain? Can you tell me what’s hurting?”

“It's my head and stomach.”

“We’ll try and fix that up real soon. Do you think you can answer a few more questions from Allura? We are going to test you for signs of a concussion. Since that seems like the most obvious answer.”

Keith sighed. “I guess.” He said in an overly exaggerated annoyed voice.

“That's the spirit! I'll go get Allura so we can get this over with soon.”

Shiro left the room and once again, Keith was alone. It's kind of funny. He usually likes to be alone. So why does he feel so scared when by himself. Just then, somebody walked in. And turned on all the lights.

“Heya, Keith!” The voice belonged to the blue paladin. How can he be so upbeat right now. The yelling hurt his head and the light made his eyes burn so he had to shut them.

“Lance.” Keith said in a hushed voice. “Can you not yell. It hurts my head. And please turn the lights down.”

“Oh oh uh yeah sorry ‘bout that. I kinda forgot. So um how’re you doing?” He said much quieter this time.

“Honestly, not good. I feel...wrong.”

“Wrong?”

Before Keith could answer, Allura walked in followed by Shiro. She sat down in a chair next to Keith's bed. She said in a very gentle voice, “Keith, I'm going to ask you about your symptoms and then have you perform a couple tests. For those, you will need to at least sit up. Can you do that?”

“Uhh” Keith only remembered about half of the words she said, but he went along with it. “Yeah, sure.” Shiro stood close by watching Keith sit up, ready to jump in and help if he needed it.

“Okay, great!” She said cheerfully. She began by giving him a symptom and Keith would rate it 1 to 5 depending on how severe it affected him. He answered 3 and 4 on a majority of them. She went through about 20 symptoms before moving on to the real “tests”.

At this point, Keith noticed that his back pain was not as severe as last night. That's a good sign. I don't want to have to deal with two major things.

Allura tested his balance by having him close his eyes and stand there for what felt like a minute. The first one went well because he was standing on both feet. But when he was told to stand on one foot, he struggled. Thank god it was his better leg or he wouldn’t have been able to do it at all. He felt like an invisible wind was rocking his body back and forth. Eventually, he lost his balance completely. Good thing Shiro was right there. He caught Keith by the shoulders and returned him to an upright stance. Keith opened his eyes and looked up at Shiro, who was giving him an encouraging smile but Keith knew it was only a mask to his worry for the red paladin.

Keith is almost positive he failed the memory test. His mind was just to foggy and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember the series of words and numbers Allura would say to him.

Shiro helped Keith back down into a comfortable position, before walking over to Allura. Keith closed his eyes hoping to fall asleep, but that didn’t happen, but Allura and Shiro must have thought he was because they began to talk louder.

“He’s definitely got a concussion, Allura.” Shiro said.

“Oh come on, he barely hit the wall.”

“Allura, did you see how he was stumbling around. He showed all the signs of a concussion. His head was actually _bleeding_ because of the impact.”

“You humans must be pretty soft then.” Allura said, still unconvinced. “Okay, so he does, how long will he be out for, and what about his back?”

“I’m not sure I have an answer for either of those. We will have to wait for his concussion to heal, but even after the main symptoms are gone, there can still be problems present. As for his back, I don’t know the severity of it, but when we were on the deck still, he told me he had feeling in his legs, but he couldn’t put any pressure on them, because it would hurt his back. We will probably just have to wait that one out as well.”

“If there is any way we can speed this up, that would be great, because we are going to need him to form Voltron and fight off Zarkon. For right now, we cannot attack. It would be too dangerous for the four of you to go in by yourselves. We are strictly on defense right now.”

“I know Allura, this is stressful, but if we rush it, it may make it worse in some way. We don’t want Keith and Red out for longer than we have to.”

There was a short pause and then someone was lightly tapping his shoulder. Keiths eyes fluttered open as he was pretending to have been woken up. Shiro must have bought it. “Sorry to wake you up, buddy, but we just wanted to tell you some things.”

“Hmmm…?” _How is this working?_

“You definitely have a concussion. All of your symptoms; the headache, sensitivity to light and sound, dilated pupils, foggy mind, balance issues, and nausea all point to concussion.”

“Great…” Keith said in the most unenthusiastic voice he could possibly make.

“I know it sucks buddy, but we can’t let you fly Red around while you’re in this state. It will all go by faster if you just rest. And I know that will be hard for you, but you have to trust us.”

“I trust you Shiro.”

Shiro smiled at him, and Keith tried to smile back, but it probably looked forced and not genuine, which is exactly what it was. “Lance is going to stay with you in case you need anything. Is that okay?”

“I mean I guess so.”

“Good, we will be back to check on you later.”

_God I probably look stupid right now._ Keith thought. _I wish Lance would leave. I don't want to give him the opportunity to make fun of me._

After Shiro and Allura left, Keith was left with the loudest of all the paladins. With the throbbing headache he had now, he wasn’t really feeling up to talking with Lance.

Keith finally spoke up. “Lance.”

“Yeah…?” Yup. loud as usual.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t really want to talk right now.”

“Oh yeah, Of course... Sure thing. Uh... if you need me, I’ll be out there...” Lance said pointing in the direction of the room where all the others were at. He sounded so sad when he said that. Almost like he was about to cry. He headed off in that direction.

After hearing the way Lance said that, Keith kind of felt bad. He didn’t mean to upset Lance. He just can’t deal with his volume right now. That’s all. But, the guilt proved too much as he soon found himself calling out to Lance.

“Wait, Lance.” Keith winced as he felt a sharp pain in his head, but he tried to play it cool when Lance looked back at him. “Come over here.” He didn’t want to have to shout anymore. Actually, pretty much everything sounded like a shout. Is this what a concussion can do? God, this sucks.

Lance came over to the side of Keith’s bed. “Do you need me to get you something?”

“No.” Keith said looking away from Lance. “I’m sorry I kicked you out. I just don’t think my head can handle your volume at the moment, so if you promise me that you will be quieter, you can stay.”

“Got it!” Lance said not changing his volume in the slightest. Keith glared at him and Lance’s eyes widened. “Oh! Right. Sorry, man. I’ll try to be quieter.”

Keith looked at him sighed, and he said with a small chuckle, “Thanks, Lance.”

“No problem, but now that I’m doing this for you, you are going to owe me something in the future. You are going to have to be my wingman the next time we see some cute alien girls.”

“Ughh, Lance not now. A lot has happened today. I kind of just want to sleep.”

“No!” Lance said urgently.

“Um… Why not?”

“I need to ask you something.”

The sudden change in Lance’s voice from his usually cheery to a much more serious voice concerned Keith. “What is it…?”

“Do you hate me?”

“What? Why would I hate you?”

“It’s all my fault?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t you remember, Keith? _I_ was the reason you’re in this state. _I_ distracted you when you were fighting the gladiator. _I_ caused all of this.”

“Are you sure, I don’t remember that.”

“That’s my point! You are all messed up in the head because of me.” Lance began to tear up. “It’s all my fault. All of it. I’m so sorry.”

There were a few seconds of silence before Keith turned towards Lance. “Nope. Don’t remember. Didn’t happen.” He said with a smile.

Lance looked over at Keith. “You didn’t just…”

Keith laughed. “I think I just did.”

“If you weren’t hurt right now, I would punch you in the face.” Lance smiled. Pretty soon both paladins were laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (2/5/17) I cannot believe this is doing so well. I didn't think many people would read and enjoy it! Thanks guys! I am in the middle of writing chapter 6.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my favorite chapters.

With the amount of times Keith drifted off throughout the day, or night, he sort of lost track of time. At the moment, Lance was the only other person in the room with him. But, Keith really wanted to ask Shiro something, but he wasn’t sure if he was going to be awake or not. He looked around for a clock of some sort. He saw one on the table next to the bed next to his. There was one problem, he couldn’t read it.   _Damn it, I took my contacts out earlier to sleep, and it's too dark in here._ Keith thought. _Well there’s no point in avoiding it now._

“Hey, Lance.” Keith said. “What time is it right now?”

Keith could hear Lance moving a bit from on the floor next to his bed. “Why don’t you check for yourself, wise guy.”

“Because I… can’t.” Keith replied shyly.

“What do you mean you can’t? Concussions can’t take away your vision, can they?”

Keith could tell that Lance was barely awake because Lance wouldn’t be that dumb. “No dumbass, I don’t have contacts in right now.” Lance was starting to wake up now. He stood up so he could see Keith.

“What?!” Lance exclaimed rather loudly. He realized this and quickly corrected himself. “What?” he asked in a whisper.

“Yeah…? What’s the big deal?” Keith asked. He hoped that Lance wouldn’t ask more questions. He didn’t like it when people knew about his absolutely terrible eyesight. But Lance was apparently still curious.

“How bad is it. If you can’t see the clock. Then I’d say it’s pretty bad. How were you allowed to fly at the Garrison? You have to have fairly good eyesight for that.’

“I never told anybody. I always just wore contacts so they wouldn’t know. Also, it’s too dark which is making it harder to see it.” Keith said, hoping to change the subject soon. “While you’re up, can you do me a favor, Lance.”

“Sure. What do you need?”

“I need you to go to my room and grab my glasses, they should be sitting near my bed or something like that.”

“Wait you have glasses?!”

Keith sighed. “Yes. Can you just go get them.”

“Sure thing Four-Eyes.”

Keith glared at him as he left the room.

Lance had been gone for about 5 minutes before he came running back into the room. With the glasses in his hand. “Sorry, I had to search a little bit.”

“Really? I thought they would have just been next to my bed.”

“Naw man, They were like on the other side of the room. Are you sure your head isn’t too messed up?”

“Shut up. It’s not funny, Lance.”

“All right, I’ll stop. Anyway, here’s your glasses.” Lance handed Keith the pair of black frames. They were thicker rimmed, but not bulky. They are about the size of the author's glasses. But, they are a little rounder than hers. He’s not a nerd like her. Keith took the glasses and put them on his face pushing them up with his index finger. He blinked a few times in order to adjust his eyes to his now clearer surroundings.

He looked over to where the clock was. It was programmed to show Earth time. It read 2:41. _Damn it’s too early to get Shiro_. Keith thought. He looked back over at Lance, who had not spoken a word since he gave Keith the glasses. Keith raised an eyebrow, “What’s wrong…?” he asked Lance.

“You look so…”

“Dumb. I kn-”

“Cute!”

Keith was shocked at his response. He was not used to compliments, for he was usually teased when he wore his glasses. Keith’s cheeks grew hot and he turned away before Lance could notice. Lance kept going on about them though. “I mean, dude. How come you never wear them? You look absolutely adorable. It is such a contrast from your usual personality.”

“And what would that be?”

“Oh I don’t know. Not that!”

“Ugh. This is why I don’t like to wear them. I hate it when people make a big deal about them. I didn't expect this kind of reaction from you.” Keith turned back to face him. “Just go find my contacts so I won't have to deal with you freaking out about my glasses any longer.”

Lance looked at Keith, the edge of his mouth curling up in a smirk. “No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’?”

“I think you’re too cute like this. So I’m not going to get them. If you want them so bad, just get up and get them yourself.”

“Why are you being so difficult?”

“Think of it as motivation.”

“So, this a challenge or something?” Keith said, getting slightly annoyed, but determined to complete this challenge. “Maybe I will go get them.” He said with a confident smile on his face. He swung his legs off the side of the bed Lance wasn’t on, so that he couldn’t help him. If he was going to do this, it would be by himself.

Lance looked shocked as he watched Keith. “Whoa, hey, Keith. I didn’t mean you should do it now.” He was cautiously making his way towards the side Keith was on.

“Shut up.” Keith waved him off. Lance stopped.

_Maybe this was a bad idea._ Keith thought. _I haven't been on my feet since…_ He shuddered thinking about the incident. _Well I can't back down now, I would look even stupider in front of Lance._ He put his feet on the ground and using his upper- body strength, which was not very much at the time, he pushed himself off the bed and onto his feet.

This proved to be a stupid choice. A dull pain shot across back and down his spine. Black spots danced across his vision. He didn’t think fast enough to sit back down, as he began to sway forward. He closed his eyes to make the spots disappear. He would have hit the hard metal ground if something hadn’t broken his fall. He heard that _something_ yell at him.

“Keith!” The loudness of the voice caused his pounding headache to return.

When Keith opened his eyes, he was on the ground being held by Lance, who was shaking him.

“Jesus, Keith, how dumb did that concussion actually make you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You literally almost passed out and hit the floor, which wouldn’t be good for your head, like, at all.” Lance said. Now he looks angry. “When you have a concussion, you are extra vulnerable, and if you managed to hit your head again.... The point is, that would be bad!”

Keith winced when Lance's voice got louder. “Oh. I didn't know that…” Keith’s voice trailed off.

“Keith, sometimes you need to know when to ask for help.”

“But, it shows that I’m weak. I hate feeling weak. Especially when it comes to simple things like walking around. I feel useless to you guys. How can we form Voltron if I can’t even stand up without falling!?”

“You aren’t weak, and you are not useless to us. Hell, you mean everything to me! If you got hurt even more, I… I don’t know what I would have done. I don't want to know what I would have done. I hate seeing you out of commission just as much as you hate it, but if you're not patient enough to let yourself heal, then it will take that much longer for you to get back to fighting.”

Keith didn’t know what to say to that. He couldn’t even process all that Lance had said. Thankfully, Lance kept talking, “If you need help, just ask. Sometimes, you just need someone to help you, and that doesn’t show weakness.”

Keith didn’t look at Lance, he just closed his eyes again. “Then can you help me get back up…”

“Of, course.” Lance said. Keith sat up while Lance stood up. He kneeled down and had Keith put his arm around his shoulders and he slowly stood up, letting Keith adjust as they made their way up. Lance brought Keith back to his bed where he laid back down, glad to be somewhere other than on a ground again.

“So, what did you need to ask Shiro for?”

“I wanted to know how long until I can fly Red again.”

“I think that depends on your condition, but until you can actually function like a normal person, you won't be doing much of anything.”

“You are starting to sound like Shiro.”

“Am not! Now rest up, stupid. We need you back out there.” Lance said crossing his arms.

Keith flipped over on his side and closed his eyes. _I want this to be over. But I guess that just this once, Lance is right. Besides, sleeping sounds like a good idea right now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yesterday I finished chapter 6! so that means I can update faster.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith sees other humans other than Lance and Shiro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! You remember when I said I would update faster, well sorry 'bout that. I was going to do it last night, but I just couldn't. I've been dealing with a lot lately, so I haven't been feeling the best. Thanks for being patient. (Also, my editing hasn't been very good for the past couple chapter for the same reason)

The next time Keith woke up, he was determined to stay awake for a while. It just occurred to him that he had fallen asleep with his glasses still on his face, for they sat somewhat crooked on his face. Lance was already awake and walking around, occasionally stopping to stretch. He noticed Keith was awake and ran over to him.

“Keith!” Lance said excitedly. “Man, I was thinking you would never wake up!”

“Exactly how long have I been asleep?"

“Too long, my friend. Now we’ve got to get you up and moving so that you can get back to flying Red and fighting bad guys.”

Keith was really not in the mood for Lance’s enthusiasm at the moment. He must have forgot to be a little quieter because his volume returned to normal. “I don’t want to move, Lance.” Keith whined. What Keith really wanted was Shiro. Shiro would probably tell him the same thing, but at least he would be more considerate when it came to noise level.

“C’mon, Keith. Shiro told me I have to get you up. Plus, I bet the others are dying to see you.”

“But I'm not dying to see them.”

“Lighten up, man. I’m just trying to help you.” Lance sounded somewhat upset.

“I'm sorry, Lance. I just don't feel good, right now. And I probably look like crap right now.”

“You do not look like crap. The quicker you do this, the quicker it will be over.” At least he’s smiling again.

Keith sighed at this statement. _Maybe he’s right._ He thought _I just don’t want to be bombarded with questions. Ugh. I really don’t want to deal with them all now. I am perfectly okay with being alone with Lance. God that sounds weird. Whatever._ Keith looked back over at Lance. “Why are you making me do this?” Keith asked.

“Like I said, Shiro told me I had to get you to get up.”

Keith realized that he wouldn't be able to win this battle. Especially in his condition and because he was arguing with Shiro’s orders. Shiro always wins. “Fine, but if I start feeling worse, you have to bail me out of there. Got it?” He tried to sound intimidating but he is pretty sure that the way he pushed his glasses back up on his face had ruined any chance he had at coming across as intimidating.

“Got it. How will I know? Are we going to come up with some sort of secret sign?” Lance said hopefully.

“I’m fairly sure you will know. If not, I’ll probably just kick you. Hard.” Keith said dead seriously.

Keith knew his hair looked awful so he grabbed the hair tie he had on his wrist that he used while he trained occasionally, and used it to pull his hair back. Lance was once again silent and when Keith glanced at him, his cheeks were pinkish as he watched Keith’s actions.

“You're hopeless” Keith said sighing.

“Yeah. Hopelessly in love.” Lance smiled.

“Will you shut up and help me, you idiot.” Keith couldn’t help but smile though. He may have also let a small laugh escape. He hoped Lance hadn't noticed.

Keith moved to the edge of the bed and waited for Lance to get next to him. Lance sat next to him and had him put his arm around his shoulders. Then when they were both ready, Lance stood up pulling Keith with him. Once he was steady Keith tried to let go of Lances hold. He swayed a little, but quickly regained balance.

“Can you do it by yourself?” Lance asked.

“I think so.” _I can’t be this weak, can I?_ Keith slowly made his way towards the door. Each step sent a dull pain through his leg and back. He tried to block out that pain. He had to concentrate a lot more because he hasn’t really been up in about two days. _God, this sucks. I probably look really stupid. But remember, you can ask for help. It’s okay._ The door seemed like it was miles away. “Lance…” Keith whined.

Lance was right there next to him. “What is it?”

“This is taking way too long. Can we speed it up at all?”

“Well, I guess. If you just kinda lean on me, maybe.”

“Sounds great, but I don’t want the others to see me like this, so I won’t need your help when we get to them.”

“Okay, tough guy.”

Keith and Lance made their way to the dining hall where Lance said everyone would be. They were moving at a much more efficient pace. With Keith leaning on Lance, the pain seemed to subside a little. When they got near the dining hall, Keith left Lances side, and continued at the same pace they just were. _Well that was easier than I thought._ After a few steps though, the pain returned. He winced as he took a step.

“Hey, you okay, man.” Lance whispered, sensing his discomfort. He looked a little worried.

“I’ll manage. It just hurts my leg and back a little when I walk.”

“Just a little bit further.”

They finally made it to the dining hall in what seemed like several minutes, and as Lance had said, everyone was there. Everyone must have been talking before, because when Keith and Lance entered the room, everybody turned and looked and didn’t say anything. Keith walked over to his usual spot at the table, trying his hardest not to look like he was in pain. Lance followed close behind. Keith sat down in his chair and lance sat next to him.

Shiro was the first person to speak up. “Look who decided to join us. We haven’t seen you here in a couple days.”

“Man, you must be starving!” Hunk said.

“Actually I-” Keith tried to say, but Hunk was already off to the kitchen.

Then everybody started to talk at once. _It’s too loud. I don’t know what anybody is saying. I think they're asking questions. I don't know though. This is exactly what I was afraid of happening. One at a time, Please!_

“Keith…?” It was Shiro.

Keith realized he had his head in his arms lying down on the table. Like a kid falling asleep in class. He looked up. “Huh?” He said. He looked lost and, to be honest, he felt lost. He was met with a concerned looking team.

“Is he alright?” He heard Pidge ask Shiro.

Shiro ignored the question for he had his attention on Keith. “Did you not get any of that?”

“Any of what?”

“I asked you a few questions. You didn’t respond.”

“I must’ve missed them, sorry.” _Well that just makes me look even worse._

“I asked you how you’re doing, but that response answered a couple others as well.”

“Everything feels kinda foggy and vague.” Keith said quietly. “Almost distant in a way.”

“Well that’s to be expected with a concussion. Have you had any new symptoms?”

“Not that I’m aware of.” Pidge chuckled as Keith said this. He shot them a glare and they stopped laughing.

After about five more minutes of questions and sort of answers, most of which had to do with his glasses, Hunk came back in the room with bowls of some alien concoction. He set them down in front of everyone. Keith looked into the bowl and immediately, his nausea came back. The bright colors of whatever was in there was not doing anything to help the situation. Keith knew it probably tasted great, because whatever Hunk made was always amazing. But he could not make himself eat it.

Keith felt dizzy all of a sudden. _Damn, It's getting worse. I was hoping I could have lasted longer. Lance. Shiro. Help._ He turned and looked at Lance who was too busy to notice him. _Oh come on._ Shiro must have noticed something was up. “Hey, Lance.” Lance looked up at Shiro.  “Why don’t you take Keith back to _his_ room. I’ll meet you there in a little bit. There’s something I would like to discuss with you two.”

Lance caught on. “Sure thing, Shiro. Okay, come on, buddy.” He held out his hand to Keith, who took it without saying anything. He allowed himself to be led away by Lance. _Finally, I will get to be back in my own room. Thank you, Shiro. Thanks Lance for not noticing me earlier._

As soon as they got to his room, Keith ran, yes ran, to his bed. He was so relieved to be somewhere at least a little more familiar to him than an infirmary. He instantly felt better to a certain degree. Lance sat down on the floor near the bed. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t realize you wanted to get out of there.”

Before Keith could respond, Shiro walked in. He went and sat next to Keith on his bed. He looked him dead in the eyes. “What’s wrong?” It wasn’t really a question, but more of a demand.

“I just couldn’t handle everyone’s talking. Then I felt sick. That’s all.”

“You looked like you were in pain.”

“And…?”

“Well, were you? Keith, this is important.”

Keith looked down at the floor. He didn't say anything.

"Not really."

“You sure?” Shiro didn’t seem entirely convinced.

“Uhhh…yeah.”

"Then show me. Stand up and walk around."

Keith slowly stood up with only minimal pain in his back. He kept a straight face the entire time to try and show Shiro there wasn't any pain and he shouldn't worry. He walked in circles around his room, thankfully, he didn't feel any sudden bursts of pain. He realized that he had been looking at his feet the entire time to keep himself from tripping on anything. After a few rounds, he looked over at Shiro. He still didn't look convinced. Shiro got up from his spot on the bed. He looked Keith right in the eyes. "Now jump."

 _Now that's just cruel._ _But, if I can do it, he will stop bothering_ me. Keith thought. He glanced at Lance.He looked somewhat concerned. "Hey now, Shiro. Do you really gotta make him do that?"

"It's fine, Lance." Keith said. "I'll do it if it will get you all off my back. I'll do practically anything for that." He then positioned himself in front of Shiro. He stood tall (or as tall as he could be), and with a confident look on his face, he squatted down for a split second before springing in the air. All was going well until the instant his feet connected with the floor. He felt the all to familiar pain in his back, but this time, it was much sharper than it had been lately. His knees buckled underneath him, and he began to fall forward. He felt something catch him. He looked up into Shiro's eyes.

  _Damn, he looks mad._ Keith had just realized that's most likely the reason Shiro stood up. He anticipated something like this happening. He expected Keith to not be able to do it.  _Now he just looks disappointed. I don't know which is worse; anger or disappointment._ At this point, Shiro was supporting most, if not all, of Keith's weight. 

“That's what I thought. Can you stand?"

Keith didn't want to take his chances so he shook his head even though he was fairly sure he could have. Shiro carefully guided him back to his bed. He sat down on the edge, but then he laid down on his back, legs still hanging off the edge. It felt so much better to lay down. 

"Listen. If something hurts too much, you need to rest. That is the fastest way for you to get back to fighting. You need to be patient, Keith.”

“I know, I’m just sick of sitting here feeling sick and hurt! I can’t take it much more of this.”

“If you want to fight again soon, you need to know when to stop and you have to learn to be patient with yourself. The team needs you, Keith."

Keith avoided looking at Shiro and Lance. “I know…” _And apparently, I need them._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter left!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith does stupid things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap guys. Why did so many of you read this?? Seriously. (I was hoping for like maybe 200 hits)

For the next two weeks, Keith was still banned from Red and especially the training deck. Shiro wouldn’t even let Keith near deck. His symptoms were getting better. It took about four days for the foggy feeling to go away. The slight nauseous feeling lingered on. After a few days, Lance no longer stayed with him all the time, but would occasionally stop by his room to see how he was doing.

Sometimes Lance would come later at night. He never seemed to be convinced that it wasn’t his fault for all of this happening. He kept having to have Keith reassure him that it’s all okay now, for the most part. Sometimes Shiro would find Lance asleep against Keith’s bed in the morning. Keith claimed he didn’t have the heart to wake him up.

Keith would usually avoid talking about training or flying Red, but occasionally, he would mention it to Shiro. Every time, Shiro instantly shot down the idea. At first Keith understood, but after two weeks, he should at least get to fly Red. She hasn’t gotten to see him in a while. Sometimes, Keith could sense her loneliness which made him want to get out even faster. One morning, when Shiro was in a particularly good mood, Keith decided to try once more.

“Shiro?” Keith said.

“Yeah, what is it? Everything alright?”

“I think I should be flying Red by now.”

“Yeah. Go on ahead.”

“Why won’t you-” Keith was not expecting that response. “Wait, what?”

“I said, go ahead.”

“Yeah, I got that, but why did you reject me so many times before.”

“One. I could see that you weren’t physically well enough, and two, you would always ask me before. That, in a way, told me that you weren’t ready. But today, you _told_ me that you were ready.  I cannot tell you how you feel. Only you know how you feel. I’m trusting your words Keith.”

Keith couldn’t help but smile at this. He could finally get back to flying. He was one step closer to where he was before all of this happened. It may take a little bit more to convince Shiro that he can get back to training, for he was not going to stop at the level 4 gladiator. He decided to take his chances. “Then what about the tra-?”

“No.”

“What?”

“One step at a time, Keith.”

Keith sighed and headed for the door. “Fine.” He said back at Shiro. Keith hadn’t really expected to get Shiro to agree with that, so he wasn’t too upset. He just relieved to get to see his Lion again. He ran off to the hangar where Red was. She had her protective barrier around her, like usual.

As soon as Keith walked in, her barrier vanished and she lowered her head so Keith could enter. He sat down in his chair, which wasn’t the most comfortable, but he never really noticed it until now. Red powered on, the lights of her display screens practically blinding Keith. She must have sensed his discomfort, because all of a sudden, the screens were dimmed to a more bearable brightness. Red seemed to purr as she started up and prepared to take off.

The doors opened and Keith took off into the vast open space. They weren’t on a planet, they had been moving hoping it would be harder for Zarkon to find them if they were constantly moving. And if he happened to find them, they could escape easier, because they wouldn’t have to spend the extra time taking off.

Something about being alone comforted Keith, now. After all, he had spent a majority of his life alone. But this alone was different. It was calming. Probably because he knew he would be able to return to the castle anytime he wanted, instead of constantly wondering if he will ever see someone again.

Then again, he had Red with him. To him, she wasn’t just a ship. She was more alive than that. Obviously, she had personality, that is why she bonded so well with Keith. Every so often, Red would communicate with Keith. Not verbally though, but through purrs and other such noises. Keith could feel the meaning of these. He could just sense it.

Red seemed to be telling him to be careful. She is definitely concerned for his health, but he reassures her that he is fine.

He flies around the castle a little before going off to a small patch of asteroids nearby. _I have to know if I can still fly like before._ He is going to use the asteroids as an obstacle course to see if he can maneuver Red through them. He starts out slow. He successfully makes his way through them without getting hit. He then uses Red’s tail to knock into the asteroids so they are in a different position.

He increased Red’s speed. Gracefully and flawlessly, he navigates his way through the floating space rocks. Red grew a little bit hesitant as Keith's movements got more and more sluggish and clumsy each time he flew through the obstacle course. Keith noticed that Red began to steer herself when one of his decisions almost got them hit.

“Come on Red. Trust me. I’ve got this.” Keith told his lion.

Red relaxed letting Keith fly again. “Thanks, girl. I promise I won’t get us in any trouble.” Keith was a little more careful now. He didn’t anyone else to worry about him. He kept flying through the asteroids for about half an hour. On one run, he misjudged the path of one of the moving rocks and it ended up slamming into Red’s side. Immediately after that, Red took full control and flew right back to the castle.

“Oh come on Red.” Keith said annoyed. “It wasn’t that bad. It was an accident. I swear it is unrelated to the concussion.” Even though it was true, Red didn’t want to risk it so she kept flying.

When they got back, Shiro and Lance were waiting in the hangar for him. Keith was not planning on telling them that Red brought him back by force.

“How’d it go? Everything fine?” Shiro asked him.

“Yeah, it went pretty good. Nothing bad happened. Still the best pilot.” Keith smirked and looked over at Lance when he said this.

“Oh, shut up…” Lance said turning away.

Red was not about to let Keith off the hook. Her eyes flashed and she made a low growling noise. Shiro noticed and raised his eyebrow. “Keith.” He said. “Are you not telling us something?”

“No…” Keith turned around and glared at Red. She lovingly purred back.

“Keith.”

“Fine, I may have misjudged the path of an asteroid and Red got hit, but I swear it has nothing to do with the concussion.”

Shiro looked at him and laughed. “I believe you. Red was just worried about you.”

“You’re not mad?”

“Of course not. If it had nothing to do with the concussion like you said, and you better not be lying, then it’s okay.”

Keith sighed in relief. “Thank God.”

*          *          *

That night, Keith decided to do something that could possibly get him in a whole lot of trouble, but only if someone found out. He waited until everyone was asleep. He tied his hair back, grabbed his bayard, and headed to the training deck.

On his way there, he passed the mice who were asleep by the door, but other than that nobody was out of their rooms. When he walked into the deck, the lights powered on, illuminating the whole room. He paced around for a bit. He slowly walked by the last place he was in there two weeks ago. He stared at wall he apparently hit. There was a slight dent in the wall, and on the floor, there were faint red marks. Keith assumed it was his blood.

He activated his bayard and walked to the center of the room. “Begin training sequence. Level 4.” A hole opened up in the ceiling and down dropped the gladiator. It turned to face Keith, flashed red, and the fight began.

It began in a similar way that it did two weeks ago. He was mostly dodging the attacks. He wasn’t in perfect shape though, so his movements were a lot slower. He had to keep his distance if he wanted to avoid being hit. He also found himself staying away from the walls. He didn’t want to get cornered again.

After dodging many attacks, he finally got his chance to strike when he caught the gladiator off guard. He side slashed at the gladiators side, but it was too fast for him and it blocked Keith’s blade with its staff. It shoved the staff forward into Keith, sending him flying backwards. Keith recovered and got to his feet, awaiting the next attack.

When the gladiator performed its aerial attacks, it would usually use its electric rod to attack. It launched itself into the air and descended towards Keith. Like last time, he blocked it with the sword. But unlike last time, the gladiator didn’t jump back. It swung its feet around and kicked Keith in the stomach. He rolled across the floor, unable to get up as fast as last time.

_Oh no._ Keith thought. _Where is my bayard?_ He looked around and noticed it was in the center of the room. He must have dropped it when the machine kicked him. But something still confused him. How was he so far away from it? He couldn't have gotten thrown that far. Unless...

Keith turned around and he was faced with a wall. His heart stopped as he turned back around and found the gladiator making its way towards him.

He suddenly remembered it all. He remembered the electric shock from the gladiator. He remembered hitting the wall, the sharp pain that he felt in his back and leg. He remembered his head striking the wall not long after. He remembered falling to the ground and not being able to breathe. He remembered being alone, then Shiro showed up. The pain that he felt when he tried to stand up and failed miserably. He remembered it all.

The memories flooded back to him so quickly that he began to lose his focus on reality. Suddenly, his breath was stolen from him, just like before. He gasped for a breath, but nothing came to him. He fell to his knees. Paralyzed. _No. This can’t happen again. But, why can’t I move. Come on! Move! Please!_ He looked up at the gladiator standing in front of him with the electric staff. He was reliving this terrible nightmare. Even till the point where he could swear he heard Lance yelling. “Keith!” He knew that impact was imminent and he braced himself. Waiting for the pain to come once again.

Before the gladiator’s weapon connected with his body, Keith saw a blue flash in front of his face. The beam knocked the weapon out of the gladiator’s hands. The voice came back. “Keith! Hey, can you hear me?! Shit. End training sequence!” Keith looked up and someone was kneeling in front of him. It was Lance. Keith looked by the door and saw Lance’s bayard on the ground. His mind couldn't process what had just happened. He still couldn't breathe.

Black spots danced across his vision threatening to steal his consciousness away from him. But something stopped him from giving in. That something was the person kneeling down in front of him.

Keith was too exhausted to stand up or even stay upright. He slumped forward and Lance caught him by the shoulders. Keith looked back up at him, expecting Lance to get mad and yell at him, but instead, he pulled Keith into a tight hug. Keith let his head rest on Lance’s shoulder. “I made it in time.” Lance said, he was out of breath. “Just in time.”

“H-how did you know that I was in here? I t-thought everyone was asleep.” Keith said shakily, attempting to break away from Lance’s grip. But Lance held him too tight.

“It was the mice.” Lance said. The mice were hiding behind him. “They came into my room and woke me up. They pointed towards the deck, so I grabbed my bayard thinking there was an intruder or something, but then I saw you…” His voice trailed off. Tears began to roll down his cheeks. Keith managed to escape the hug. It took all his strength to not fall backwards. He looked at Lance.

Keith reached out his hand towards Lance’s face, he gently put his hand on Lance’s cheek and wiped away the tears with his thumb. “Well I’m okay n-now. Aren’t I?” Keith said with a soft smile. Lance returned it and pulled him back into a hug.

“Lance… I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have come out here by myself.”

“You’re okay, and that’s all that matters. Let’s get you out of here and back to your room before Shiro finds us.”

“You’re not going to tell him?”

“Not unless you want me to."

“Please don’t.”

“Your secret is safe with me.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem.”

Lance lightly pushed Keith back and stood up. He held out his hand and Keith took. Lance helped pull him up. “Ya good, buddy?” Lance asked Keith.

“I’m not that weak, Lance. I can handle this.”

They walked back to Keith’s room, careful to not make any noises so they don’t wake Shiro. When they got there, Keith fell onto his bed in exhaustion. He was still breathing hard from that whole deal. Lance noticed. “Man, you really are out of shape.” He chuckled.

“Really, I thought I was just like before.” Keith said sarcastically.

“There’s no need to get sassy with me.” Lance said putting his hand on his hip. Keith turned over on his side facing the wall. “What? You’re just going to go to sleep in those disgusting clothes.”

“Shut up. I’ll deal with it when you leave. Speaking of that, you should probably leave soon before Shiro finds out.”

Lance began to walk towards the door. Before he walked out into the hallway, he stopped and turned around. “Hey,” Keith turned around when he heard Lance call him, “maybe next time you go to the training deck, you can ask me to come with you. We can train together. Ya know, when Shiro clears you. Or whenever.” Lance winked.

“I’ll have to think about it.” Keith said turning back over. Lance took this as his cue to leave. He stepped out in the hallway, the door closing behind him. Keith sat up, and he noticed four light figures running across his floor. Suddenly, he had the four mice sitting by him. He held out his hands and they climbed on. He brought them closer to his face.

“Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am glad you all indirectly enjoyed my suffering. I have another fic planned and mostly written, but it wont be multi chapter. It will all be posted at once, so until then... see ya later!!


End file.
